Photo by Christian Buehner on Unsplash
Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, “Who do the people say I am?”
Mark 8:27 The Message
It sounds a bit self-serving and egotistical even when you think about it.
It raises the question, what do you do when it makes no sense to follow what you believe the Lord is asking of you?
I imagine Thomas scratching his head, thinking, “Why would you ask such a question?”
Has that ever happened to you? You feel like the Lord wants you to do something, yet you think, “Why?”
In another story, Jesus and the disciples have gathered to have a meal. Jesus grabs a towel and wash basin and begins washing the feet of each disciple. Their puzzled look means they do not understand what he is doing.
When he got to Peter, he rejected, saying, “Dude, what are you doing? Not my feet.” (Evans paraphrase)
In other words, Peter spoke what everyone else was thinking.
Jesus’ response to Peter’s question is the same answer to why we do not understand when asked to do something that does not make sense.
“Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.”
John 13:7 The Message
(I will offer a deeper explanation in a moment)
A brief rabbit trail
I like the image the movie Evan Almighty paints about this matter.
In the closing scene, when Evan (Steve Carell) and his family are headed for a picnic in the meadow, he sees God (Morgan Freeman) standing under a tree.
He says to God something like, you knew all along what would happen, didn’t you?
During the conversation, Evan says, “You knew I would help, even though I fought you every step of the way.
This is a powerful image because it shows God’s understanding of humanity and our willingness to comply even (or perhaps especially) when we do not understand.
The rest of the story
After giving various answers, Jesus reveals why he asked the question.
“Some say ‘John the Baptizer,'” they said. “Others say ‘Elijah.’ Still others say ‘one of the prophets.'”
He then asked, “And you – what are you saying about me? Who am I?” Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Messiah.”
Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone.
Mark 8:28-30 The Message
Have you ever had a moment when your ears heard what your mouth was saying, and it shocked you?
This is the kind of moment Peter had.
I believe his ears heard what he was saying, and his eyes lit up because a massive shot of adrenaline pushed through his body.
In other words, Peter’s answer did not come from Peter, but from God the Holy Spirit tapping Peter’s heart because of his commitment to follow Jesus.
The deeper explanation
Peter and the eleven other disciples committed to following Jesus. They followed him even when their heads could not reconcile with their hearts.
They knew it was right in their hearts, but their eyes and ears conveyed a different message to their brain.
This is the life of Christ-follower.
The Apostle Paul puts it this way:
“It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.”
II Corinthians 5:7 The Message
We trust because we commit to follow, even (or perhaps especially) when our eyes and ears tell our brain something different.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a lifetime learning experience that prepares the Christ-follower for an eternity of unimaginable blessings.
It is a journey that begins with trusting your life to a God you cannot see and grows as you follow his path, even (or perhaps especially) when you do not understand it.
Is it a blind trust?
It is absolutely blind trust, based on the belief that God is who he says he is and will do what he says he will do in and through your life—in this life and your eternal life.
It begs the question, What are YOU saying about Jesus?
If you, like Peter, say he is Christ, then unlike Peter, who was told to be quiet about it before Jesus’ ascension into heaven, let your life testify to your trust in him.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead provides you a living hope. It is a living anticipation full of expectation of something good happening.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a journey. I invite you to follow along. As I learn, I will pass it along so you, too, can learn. I hope that as you learn, you can pass it along so that I (and others) might learn.
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